Device for gripping and retrieving pipes or rods from bore holes



M RINGLER March 16, 1965 DEVICE FOR GRIPPING AND RETRIEVING PIPES OR RODS FROM BORE HOLES Filed pril 9, 1963 Inventor HR 876 Y PING; 5R

A ttorn eys United States Patent 3,173,719 DEVICE FOR GRIPPING AND RETRIEVING PIPES OR RODS FROM BORE HGLES Maurycy Ringler, P.0. Box 41, Ashkelon, Israel Filed Apr. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 271,716 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-8613) The present invention relates to a device for gripping and retrieving pipes or rods from bore holes. This is not an easy task for several reasons. One of these is the fact that the upper end of a pipe to be gripped may be out of the vertical, i.e. bent to the side. This will easily happen at a point where the bore hole is widened into a so-called cavern. Such caverns may form be cause parts of the wall of the bore hole break loose during the boring action or because the bore hole leads into and passes through some already existing cavity.

The tool for gripping such a bent end must obviously also be directed out of the vertical. This cannot be done until the tool and its holder has been lowered into the said cavity, as there is not suificient clearance in the straight bore hole for other than a vertical movement. It is therefore the object of the present invention ot provide a device which can be lowered vertically into the bore hole with an appropriate tool attached thereto, and which, at the proper moment, can be swung sideways by being actuated from above ground. According to the invention, there is provided a device for the purpose set out, comprising a pipe having one end designed for screwor similar connection, its other end being connected by a knuckle-joint to one end of a short tubular member, the other end of the latter being adapted for connection to a drill or an overshot or other tool, characterized therein that the knuckle-joint is hollow, permitting uninterrupted connections from the interior of the pipe to the interior of the tubular member, and locking means and tripping means are provided for the knuckle-joint to be actuated from the hollow interior of the latter, the tripping means being controlled from above ground.

The invention will now be described in detail in connection with the drawings showing in:

FIG. 1 schematically the new device in use;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are vertical sections, with the parts in straight, locked position, and in out-swung position, respectively;

FIG. 4 shows the device in an outswung position similar to that of FIG. 1 but using a ditierent tool;

FIG. 5 is a section on line VV of FIG. 3.

A tubular piece 1 has the customary conically screwthreaded upper end 2 for connection to a pipe, and a thickened lower end portion 3. In this end portion 3 is provided a central, cylindrical cross-bore 4, the ends of which are closed by a sleeve 5 surrounding and fully enclosing portion 3. In the cross-bore 4 and within sleeve 5 is held swingably a cylindrical body 6 which is integral with another tubular member 7 suspended from the body 6 by means of a neck portion 6'. The hollow interior 7' of member 7 merges with a coaxial bore 6" through the cylinder 6. Thus in the position of FIG. 2 there exists a through going straight passageway from the interior of pipe 1 through bore 6" to the space 7. Member 7 is provided with inner and outer screwthreads for fixing thereto different kinds of tools. At the inside of sleeve 5 (see FIG. 5), and fixed thereto, are provided trunnions 8 projecting into central depressions in the end faces of cylinder 6, on which trunnions the cylinder 6 can turn about its axis. The knuckle-joint is locked in straight poistion by a small pin-shaped prop ice 9. Pin 9 is journalled with its lower end at 10 in a small radial depression 11 milled in the top face of member 7. The upper end of prop 9 is slightly oblique and abuts against a similarly oblique part 3 of the lower face of end portion 3. Normally the two said end faces lie flat on each other. At points substantially opposite prop 9 there are located inside portion 3 two longitudinal, parallel bores 12 in which spring-biased pins 13 are accommodated, pressing down onto the top face of member 7. By this pressure prop 9 is securely held in its normal position. Within bore 6" is hingedly held at 14 a damperdike disc 15. It is connected by a push rod 16, passing through a hole 17 in the wall of the neck portion 6' between body 6 and member 7, to the prop 9.

The device functions as follows: whenever it is desired to swing the member 7 together with the affixed tool out of the vertical for a purpose set out above, mud is pressed down the pipes. Its pressure will move damper 15 out of the way into a position shown approximately in FIG. 3. Push rod 16 will thereby press against prop 9 until the latter collapses or topples over. Under the impact of the spring biased pins 13, the member 7 will swing sideways as far as possible assuming, together with the attached tool, the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. By slowly turning the whole length of drilling pipes the tip of the tool will scan the entire cross section area of the cavern until it encounters the bent oil upper end of the rod or pipe to be withdrawn. The tool is then forced around the rod or inserted into the pipe end and connected thereto as known per se until the whole assembly can be withdrawn, freeing the bore hole from its obstruction. Once above ground, the device can be reset for further use. The tool shown in FIG. 1 is known to the trade as an overshot, while the tool of FIG. 4 is called a taper tap."

Several modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g., the locking means could be of various designs. Instead of pin 9 an excenter disc could be used. Instead of the simple push rod a more elaborate device may be provided. The damper could be replaced by a piston which, while being pushed downwards by the mud under pressure will release the locking means before passing into the lower, wider portion 7'. The spring biassed pins could be located in the tubular member and pressed against the bottom face of the pipe.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising, a first tubular member, a second tubular member, a knucklejoint carried by one tubular member and swingably mounted on the other tubular member, said knucklejoint being hollow so as to provide a substantially uninterrupted passageway through said tubular members, spring-urged means urging one of said tubular members to swing sideways with respect to the other at said knuckle-joint, locking means for locking said tubular members in substantial registered position, and tripping means disposed in said passageway and adapted to intercept a medium introduced therein for tripping said locking means so that said spring-urged means will cause one of the tubular members to swing sideways with respect to the other tubular member.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said tripping means comprises a disc pivotably mounted in said passageway and a linkage connecting said disc to said locking means.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said locking means comprises a pin-shaped prop normally clamped in an upright postion between abutting end faces of the 3 v tubular members, said prop being collapsible upon tripping by said tripping means.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said springurged means comprises at least one pin mounted on one tubular member and spring-urged against an end face of 5 the other, said locking means acting on abutting end faces of said tubular members at a point substantially opposite to the mounting of said spring-urged pin.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hinderliter Feb. 24, 1925 Baker June 25, 1929 Young Feb. 20, 1951 Howard Dec. 13, 1955 

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING, A FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER, A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER, A KNUCKLEJOINT CARRIED BY ONE TUBULAR MEMBER AND SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON THE OTHER TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID KNUCKLEJOINT BEING HOLLOW SO AS TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNINTERRUPTED PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS, SPRING-URGED MEANS URGING ONE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS TO SWING SIDEWAYS WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER AT SAID KNUCKLE-JOINT, LOCKING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS IN SUBSTANTIAL REGISTERED POSITION, AND TRIPPING MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID PASSAGEWAY AND ADAPTED TO INTERCEPT A MEDIUM INTRODUCED THEREIN FOR TRIPPING SAID LOCKING MEANS SO THAT SAID SPRING-URGED MEANS WILL CAUSE ONE OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS TO SWING SIDEWAYS WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER TUBULAR MEMBER. 